Urena lobata L.
Caesar weed
MALVACEAE
Synonyms: Urena americana L. f.
Urena grandiflora DC.
Urena trilobata Vell.
Urena lobata L.
Urena diversifolia Schumach.
(and others: Institute of Systematic Botany 2003).
General Description.Caesar weed is also
known as hibiscus bur, aramina, pink Chinese
burr, bur mallow, grand cousin, cadillo, carrapicho
do mata, malva, mahot cousin, cousin petit, cousin
rouge, jut africain, cooze mahot, dadangsi, and
mautofu. It is a subshrub 0.6 to 3 m in height and
up to 7 cm in basal diameter. The species usually
has a single stem emerging from the ground but
normally produces several stems or major
branches low on the stem and many branches
throughout. The nearly smooth bark is tough and
fibrous, brown on the outside and green within. Its
pale yellow wood is of medium density. Plants are
supported by a tap and lateral root system of tan or
ivory-colored, tough and flexible roots. Grayish-
green, discolorous, alternate leaves are stellate-
pubescent both above and below, ovate, angulate
or shallowly lobbed, 1 to 12 by 1 to 12 cm, and
have serrate margins. Axillary flowers are usually
solitary and have five pink petals. The flowers are
about 1 cm broad. The fruits are 8- to 10-mm
globose capsules that break into five fine-barbed
(glochidate) mericarps. (Howard 1989, Liogier
1994, Stevens and others 2001)
Range.The original range of Caesar weed is
probably Asiatic. Today it grows throughout moist
tropic and subtropical regions including American
Samoa, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Natural
Resources Conservation Service 2003, Pacific
Island Ecosystems at Risk 2003).
Ecology.Caesar weed readily invades disturbed
areas, especially poorly managed pastures,
scarified and eroded areas, and perennial crop
plantations but is much less of a problem in annual
crops. The species does not compete well in tall
grass swards and brushlands and does not grow
under forest canopies. Ceasar weed grows on a
wide variety of soils of varying fertility derived
from most parent materials. It tolerates salt spray
and a moderate amount of salt in the soil but does
not grow in saturated soils. The species ranges to
elevations of 1,500 m (Pacific Island Ecosystems
at Risk 2003). In Puerto Rico, it occurs in areas
that receive from about 1400 to 3000 mm of mean
annual precipitation, forming thickets in favorable
sites.
Reproduction.Caesar weed flowers and fruits
throughout the year (Stevens and others 2001). A
collection of seeds from Puerto Rico averaged
0.0239 + 0.0003 or 41,800 seeds/kg. Placed on
moist blotter paper without pretreatment, just 3
percent germinated in 9 months. Germination is
epigeal (authors observation). Sulfuric acid
scarification was tested as a means of breaking
dormancy of seed from Sierra Leone. The best
treatment (18 molar solution for 90 minutes) gave
96 percent germination as compared with distilled
water that gave 4 percent germination (Harris
1986). Seeds are dispersed by clinging to fur and
clothing. Seedlings are common in disturbed sites
near seed sources.
Growth and Management.Caesar weed grows
rapidly and can reach 0.5 to 2 m by the end of the
first year. In Puerto Rico, it can live 2 years,
usually dying back to midheight after the first
growing season. It is not known whether the
shrubs sprout from the roots multiple times. A
fiber crop yielding 1,800 kg/ha is ready to harvest
after 6 to 7 months and seed crops of 300 to 500
kg/ha are ready after 7 or 8 months (Fagundes
2003). Fiber crops are established with seed.
Because of the aggressive nature of the species,
wildland plantings are not recommended. The
author knows of no published specific control
measures.
Benefits and Detriments.Caesar weed
colonizes disturbed areas and helps to protect the
soil while furnishing cover for wildlife. It has
attractive flowers and contributes to aesthetics of
areas it has colonized. Tens of thousands of tons of
a jute-like fiber from Caesar weed called aramina
fiber and Congo jute are produced in Brazil
(Fagundes 2003) and Africa (Cmara de Comrcio
e Indstria Portugal-Angola 2003). Various
extracts of leaves and roots are used in herbal
medicine to treat such diverse ailments as colic,
malaria, gonorrhea, fever, wounds, toothache, and
rheumatism (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia
2003). A semipurified glycoside obtained from
Caesar weed leaves was 86 percent as effective an
anti-inflammatory as aspirin in rats (Bautista
2000). The leaves and flowers are eaten as famine
food in Africa (Freedman 1998). Raw leaves are
reported to contain 81.8 percent moisture, 54 cal,
3.2 g of protein, 0.1 g fat, 12.8 g carbohydrates,
1.8 g fiber, and 2.1 g ash, 558 mg calcium, and 67
mg of phosphorous per 100 g (FAO 2003).
However, the plant is little browsed by cattle and
can become a severe weed in pastures and
plantations. Burs that collect on clothing and in
animal fur are a nuisance.
References
Bautista, L.M.A. 2000. Inquiry into the anti-
inflammatory activity of the syrup from the
glycosides of the leaves of kulutkulutan (Urena
lobata, Linn., family Malvaceae). Centro
Escolar Universitario, Mandiola, Philippines.
http:// www.ceu.edu.ph/research1.htm. 3 p.
Cmara de Comrcio e Indstria Portugal-Angola.
2003. Caracterizao econmico social de
Angola. http://www.cciportugal-angola.pt/
caract.htm. [not paged].
Fagundes, M.H. 2003. Sementes de juta e malva:
algumas observaes. Companhia Nacional de
Abastecimento, Brazil. http://www.conab.gov.
br/politica_agricola/Conjunturasemanal/Especiai
s/SEMENTES%20JUTA%MALVA.doc. 10 p.
FAO. 2003. Food composition table for use in
Africa. Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, Rome. http://www.fao.
org/docrep/003/x6877e/X687705.htm#ch5. [not
paged].
Forest Research Institute of Malaysia. 2003. Plants
information: Urena lobata Griff., pulut-pulut,
Malvaceae. Forest Research Institute of
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. http://www.
frim.gov.my/tu/Urena.htm. 1 p.
Freedman, R. 1998. Famine foods: Malvaceae.
Perdue University, Perdue, IN. http://www.hort.
perdue.edu/newcrop/faminefoods/ff_families/M
ALVACEAE.html. 3 p.
Harris, P.J.C. 1986. Dormancy of Urena lobata L.
seeds. I. Development of sulphuric acid
scarification techniques. Ghana Journal of
Agriculatural Science 14-19: 79-84.
Howard, R.A. 1989. Flora of the Lesser Antilles,
Leeward and Windward Islands. Vol. 5. Arnold
Arboretum, Harvard University, Jamaica Plain,
MA. 604 p.
Institute of Systematic Botany. 2003. Atlas of
Florida vascular plants. University of South
Florida, Tampa, FL. http://plantatlas.usf.
edu/synonyms.asp?plantID=1364&genus=Urena
&species=lobata. [not paged].
Liogier, H.A. 1994. Descriptive flora of Puerto
Rico and adjacent Islands. Vol. 3. Editorial de la
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Ro Piedras, PR.
461 p.
Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2003.
Plant profile: Urena lobata L., Caesarweed.
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_profile.cgi?
symbol=URLO. 5 p.
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk. 2003. Urena
lobata L., Malvaceae. http://www.hear.org/
Pier/urlob.htm. 3 p.

Stevens, W.D., C. Ulloa-U., A. Pool, and O.M.

Montiel, eds. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua.
Monographs in Systematic Botany Vol. 85, No.
2. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO.
p. 945-1,910.

_________________________________________

John K. Francis, Research Forester, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Jardn
Botnico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, San Juan PR
00926-1119, in cooperation with the University of
Puerto Rico, Ro Piedras, PR 00936-4984